AN A one shot of Severus watching Hermione Granger. Rated T for character death and adding a bit of perceptive in Professor Snape's death. As always JK owns it and I make not a single sickle.
Watching
Severus Snape sat next to Professor Quirell watching the Sorting, bored as he knew that all that sat on that stool would challenge him and a dunderhead.
"Granger, Hermione." Minerva called out.
He watched the little girl move slowly and sat on the chair as the old witch placed the Sorting Hat on the young witch's head.
Most would not have noted but there was a pause before it roared out "Gryffindor!" Thois would be a witch that he would have to watch, noting the Sorting Hat's indecision, how slight it might have been.
He watched her go to her House, slight smile as she was wrapped in the arms of the Seventh Year Prefect Percy Weasley congratulating her.
Soon after, Potter was sorted into the same House without a pause from the old hat as he expected.
Severus thought on the young witch. He sensed that she was bright and thirsting of knowledge. He would help her if her could.
Time passed and she became the sidekick of Potter and he treated her harshly based on that grouping. How they survived their tomfoolery he would never know but he watched her grow up into a capable witch strong in magic and her dunderhead friends never saw or realized it.
He hated her for that, the one student in decades worthy and attached to that fool and treated her as such.
Such a smart witch and he had to treat her harshly and not recognize her brilliance and he hated it. But it was all for the Light.
Still he watched her. He would hand back her assignment full of red ink and then at the bottom he would address the thoughtful questions contained in the assignment. That was the most he could do and when she turned in new assignments she would address the previous asking more questions. She was such a smart witch to realize he could not openly show her any favors and she never told anyone.
Seven years passed and Voldemort met with him, asking of the Elder Wand.
Despite his calm assurance that his master controlled it, he was sliced with a slicing spell and soon the snake struck him three times before Voldemort left him to die, blood pooling around him.
He felt his life draining away, welcoming the end.
He allowed his memories to leak out, struggling to keep consciousness as he watched the witch conjure a phial and handed it to the hated boy to capture. Soon the deed was done and he felt his Unbreakable vow slip away.
Ironic. Snape thought as he laid there gasping for breath. He would not enjoy a new life with that hateful vow broken.
Hermione Granger knelt to him and whispered in his ear. "We can't stay to help but thank you for keeping us safe."
"How?" He croaked out in wonder that she figured it all out.
"You could have killed us loads of times but you jumped in front of us to save us from Remus and you let the Order know we were at the Department of Mysteries." She sadly replied and pulled three phials from her robes. "I hope these help, but if not remember I tried." She whispered forcing them into his hand.
He felt that he was alone and struggled to drink the phials left for him and could not bring his hand to his lips, the sweet promise of continuing life quickly fading in his mind.
He felt death press upon him as he gasped for breath and a bright light shone before him. Forgetting the phials, he moved towards it knowing he would be released. "Always a bright witch and always worthy Hermione Granger. I wish you good luck." His last thought as he walked through.
Hermione paused outside the shack feeling something that she could not put her finger on, thinking of Professor Snape and sensed his final acknowledgement.
Harry and Ron turned back when they noticed she was not following.
"Hermione we've got to go!" Harry shouted out.
She looked back to the shack for a moment before joining her friends to continue the fight. "Be well in the Veil Professor Snape." She whispered and ran to join her friends.